Any comments on the great story in May Trains magazine? I grew up in Ottawa, Il. and spent a great deal of time down at the RI station in the early 70's through the shutdown in 1980. Usually I would meet friends at the depot on Saturday afternoons. You were almost always guaranteed two westbounds. Train 01, the hotshot for the SP at Tucumcari would show first most of the time. This train almost always had a block of boxcars top out followed by a block of piggyback cars. The rest of the train filled out with general freight. Then came 57. The power was usually the best the RI had at the time. Many times UP SD-40's or big U-boats would be behind the required cab signal equipped RI unit. The train was instantly recognized by the auto parts box cars and multilevels. If the RI had an image of a hotshot this train was it. In 1979 I was hired as a train order clerk in Ottawa and saw how important this train really was to the railroad. I had one negative encounter involving 57. Because of space will post that later. AF Niederer
I've not seen this issue as yet. Will need to make a point of checking it out. A friend usually brings over his copy when done reading it. But as of this evening, he's not received his magazine. Boxcab E50
Yes, the RI article was great. I was never able to see the old Rock Island as it was gone by the time I began to travel out to the Midwest. I always seemed to be fascinated by the Rock Island though. Growing up in an area where railroading was on that same slippery slope it was easy to identify with the RI. I seem to recall the author telling another story years ago in TRAINS describing his experience as a dispatcher on the Rock Island. Great writing! Your comment about the cab signal equipped RI units suprised me. I did not realize they had cab signals in place at the end of the railroad's life. I just assumed (incorrectly) that as the Rock Island started to fall apart the system would have been deactivated. I am looking forward to your next post about No 57. Thanks. Joe
I haven't read the current issue yet either, but I sure do remember my days back in the early 60s at the Union Depot in Joliet. Anyone familiar with Joliet in those days knows that east and west was Rock Island, and north and south was Santa Fe. I remember back in 63 taking the Rock Island to Chicago for $1.75 for a round trip ticket. Mom didn't want to pay $2.25 for a ticket on the SF. Seems there was always more Rock Island traffic than SF. Anyway that's the way I remember it. I'll always remember that rocket nosed locomotive they had for passenger service racing down parrallel with Hwy. US30. Thomas
How HOT is HOT? I was told to copy an order WEST. Memory has faded some but I believe it was a high wide order. Basically this order told 57 that he would be meeting an eastbound with a wide load in his train. If 57 had any wide ones arrangement had to be made so that these two trains would not pass on parallel tracks. This might be accomplished by one train heading into a siding far enough for the wide load to clear the main. Either way 57 had no wide loads but rules required that he receive a copy of this order. At one time Ottawa had passenger platforms on both sides of the mainlines. The track rehab of 1975 forced the removal of the westbound platform. As a result the only place to stand for westbounds was between the mains at the old crosswalk. As I was new and am righthanded this proved awkward for me but I had little choice. As the locomotives approached I held up the order hoop trying to judge the proper height so the head man could snag the orders. Instead of the headman trying to place his fist in the middle of the fork he tried to grab the order. He missed.....
How HOT is HOT part 2 I stood in disbelief watching the auto parts cars going by me getting slower and slower. Ottawa's station is located on a mile and a half stretch of tangent with curves to the south at both ends. By the time he came to a stop I could not see either end of the train. Before I could get back into the station the trainmaster was running out the door demanding to know what happened. He grabbed the order from the hoop and ran for the company car to drive the order to the head end. Their was no caboose on 57 today so he could not back up to get the order. At this time it was not unusual to see a Rock Island freight without a caboose as many were bad order and sometimes there was not enough to go around. Star markers were used and at times I even saw red flags. This was long before the demise of cabooses nationwide. Anyway I got back into the station after 57 began moving westward again to OS the train to the DS. I showed the train as arriving AND departing, about 10 minutes total delay to a train that should have sailed right on through.. I remember the DS screaming into the phone demanding a reason for the delay. When the trainmaster returned to his office the Supt in Silvis was waiting to talk with him. I believe he covered for me as I was a very green employee at the time. Anyway if there was ever a doubt about 57's status even in 1979 they were all cleared away for me after this incident.
My first memory of the Rock Island was riding an eastbound passenger train from (I'm guessing here) Fairbury, NE to Davenport, IA. The trip was made at night, and we slipped into the station at Devenport on a drizzly morning. Mom, my sister and I had left Beatrice, NE after my Grandpa's funeral, and Dad had driven on east to wait for us. Other thing I remember about that trip was the color of the E-units- they were yellow. Oh yes, and I was 4 1/2 years old at the time, and this all took place in late April 1961. Wonder if this was the Rocky Mountain Rocket I rode, or was it another train?
Here's a picture of the rocket I remember. Wasn't around very long but it was a sight to see. Thomas umcycling.com
